With This Ring
by stinichra
Summary: Ethan and Maya receive a joint surprise, but Ethan has another up his sleeve for Maya.


**Author's Note:** This is my first Ethan/Maya fic. I'm not sure it was ready to be posted, but I felt like I'd never post if I waited. Please let me know if there are any errors. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_Wow_, Maya Ward thought, as she surveyed her surroundings. She and Ethan Lovett had been at their surprise reception for about an hour and she still couldn't believe it. Originally thinking they were meeting Lulu and Dante for drinks, they'd walked into a packed bar sporting a large banners that displayed the words "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Lovett!" Immediately after their arrival, Lulu rushed over, asked if they were surprised, and explained that she had come up with the idea while they were planning Tracey and Luke's wedding. Right on her heels was Luke himself, with a hug for his son ("You've done good, Dodge."), a kiss for Maya ("Good luck with this one, Mrs. Dodge."), and a desire to eat now that the guests of honor had finally arrived.

Now, she was finally sitting down with a plate of delicious food, watching Ethan chat with his brother and father across the room. When they'd arrived, her first thought was that he had some hand in planning the party. It would have explained the slight tension she could see simmering beneath the surface all night. But one look at his face and she knew he was as shocked as she was.

At that moment, Lulu came over and joined her. "Hey. You're sitting over here by yourself. Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, of course! This is fantastic, Lulu. Really. I don't even know how to thank you."

The blonde shook her head. "You don't need to. Look, I know that it was a complete accident that you and Ethan got married, but it seems to be working for both of you. And I thought you deserved a celebration." She leaned a bit closer and continued. "The only time I've seen Ethan look this happy is when he's stealing something and, even then, it's not the same as it is when he's with you."

_Ok, _Maya thought, _this is unexpected. _Before Maya could produce an answer to Lulu's observation, Ethan strolled over to the two women. Dropping into the chair next to his wife, he slid an arm around her shoulder and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Without thought, she leaned into him, a habit that she'd never gotten into with any of her past boyfriends, but couldn't resist with him. "What are you two ladies talking about?" he asked.

"Actually," Lulu replied, "we were just talking about you."

"Oh? Were you telling my little sister what an amazing husband I've turned out to be?"

"Mmhm," she replied, snapping out of her speechlessness. "I was mentioning that you're not doing too bad… for a starter husband."

Ethan's hand came to rest on his chest, his face showing mock hurt. "Ouch." Since he smiled when he said it, Maya was certain he didn't take her seriously. He turned to Lulu. "Do you mind if I steal my lovely wife away?"

With a grin and shake of her head, she replied, "No. It's probably a good idea. Looks like you need to convince her to keep you around."

To Maya, Ethan asked, "Join me outside?"

Her nod came without hesitation. Hopefully, she would finally find out what was going on with him. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was up to something, but couldn't imagine what he'd hoped to pull off on a dinner date with his sister and her cop boyfriend.

As the couple stood to leave, sounds of clinking glasses halted their departure. Grins on their faces, their guests were tapping their glasses with their forks. Someone, Maya couldn't be sure, but she suspected Johnny, shouted, "We want a kiss!"

"They can't be for real," she said softly for only Ethan to hear. But she should have known she wouldn't be able to count on him in a situation like this. He was already enveloping her in his arms.

"Come now, love. We can't disappoint all these fine people." Tipping her chin up with his index finger, he brought her face closer to his. Her eyelids drifted shut when their mouths met. When she would have retreated after a peck, he pulled her further into his embrace, deepening the kiss. As usual, her brain turned to mush. Just as she began to forget they were being watched, he drew back. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. Maybe I'll keep you around after all."

He grinned. "Let's make a mad dash for the door before we're stopped again."

They managed to escape successfully with no further detours. Seconds after stepping outside, Maya regretted the lack of foresight that made her leave without grabbing her coat. But she needn't have worried. Right on the heels of that thought, she felt Ethan behind her draping his jacket over her shoulders, covering the skin left bare by her one shoulder mini-dress. "Thank you. It's freezing out here. And even knowing now why Lulu wanted me to wear a designer dress tonight, this thing was not created to be worn outside in this type of weather."

"But you look positively gorgeous. In case I haven't mentioned it."

"Oh, you've only mentioned it about seven times tonight." She began to stick her arms in the sleeves to warm up. She was putting her hands in her pocket when he spoke again, but she had no idea what he said. Her fingers encountered something in the pocket of the jacket, which she pulled out. "What is this?" she asked, the jewelry box resting in the palm of her hand.

A look of alarm appeared on his face. "That? Oh, that's… nothing. Why don't you just give that to –"

"It's not nothing. This is jewelry. Did you steal this?" Maya could barely contain her surprise as she held the box up to eye level. "Oh, my… you stole this from one of our guests!"

"What? I did no such thing!"

Eyes squinted at his genuine outrage, Maya's thoughts raced for another explanation. "So… you stole it from someone else. And that's why you've been acting strangely all night. You probably didn't have time to get rid of it and –"

"Really, Maya? Now, you're just being insulting. If I wanted to hide it, I would've found a way. But I didn't need to, because it's mine." He paused. "Or rather yours. Give it here, would you? Before you ruin everything." With no effort, he reached forward and plucked it out of her fingers.

Maya knew she was frowning, that her face was probably showing every bit of confusion she felt. "What do you mean? How could that be –"

Choosing to use actions in lieu of words to respond, Ethan merely opened the black velvet box and turned it towards her. Nestled inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. There, a princess cut diamond shined brilliantly on a platinum band, anchored on both sides by a row of smaller diamonds. As she stared at the ring, Maya started to see lights dance before her eyes and realized that she'd stopped breathing. After taking a deep breath, she looked up into the eyes of the man standing before her. "Ethan…?"

"I'd planned this big, elaborate speech that I was going to deliver after our night on the town. I can't begin to tell you how panicked I was when we got to Jake's tonight. I thought, 'This is a sign. You can't do this now.' Then I realized that there was no better time or place than this to ask you to hang on to what we've got between us. I'm aware that Edward's payoff played a part in our decision to give this a real try. But, for me at least, it's not the only reason."

"It's not for me, either."

"Well, that's good to know." The expression on his face shifted to one of calm determination. "I say we do this by our own rules, at our own place. Maya, I know that we didn't have the kind of ceremony you wanted and until tonight, hadn't had the celebration, either. I wanted to give you this ring so that we'd have a physical reminder of our marriage." He removed the ring from its resting place and returned the box to the jacket pocket. Holding the diamond between his thumb and index finger, Ethan stared into her eyes. "Maya Ward Lovett, will you stay my wife? Will you see this through with me?"

In eyes that often sought to trick and deceive, Maya saw his uncertainty, a vulnerability she'd never seen in him before. It matched what she was feeling exactly. What she felt every single time she thought of this union they'd entered into, albeit unintentionally. She frequently asked herself what they were doing. Why they didn't hire a lawyer and complete the annulment papers.

But he was right. There was something real and deep going on between the two of them. And even with her doubts, she wasn't ready to let that go.

"Yes," she answered with a nod. "Yes, yes, yes." That charming face of his morphed into a look of pleasure and he placed the ring on her finger. "Ethan, it's… breathtaking. I can't believe you stole a ring for me."

"Would you stop it with the stealing? I bought that ring."

"With money you stole."

"Ever doubtful, I see. I'll have you know I paid for it with money I earned with my own two hands." At her look of disbelief, he continued. "Alright, while that is technically true, I may have held a poker game or two at the Haunted Star." She arched an eyebrow. "With a few unsuspecting players. Outside of business hours."

Maya shook her head. "Should I be at least a little upset about that? Because I'm not. And I really love this ring." She wiggled her fingers a few times, enjoying how right it looked on her hand. "I feel bad, though, that I don't have anything for you."

A quick tug on the lapels of his jacket brought her up against his chest. "I bet you could come up with something to give me that I _know_ I'll love." The suggestion was accompanied by waggling eyebrows. "We can grab our coats and ditch this place in five minutes flat."

Pretending to take a moment to consider it, she gave him an answer she was sure would surprise him. "Ok."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

Keeping her loosely wrapped in his arms, Ethan took a moment to think. "No, I'm not ready."

"Are you kidding?"

"Not at all, love. I don't want you dazzled by diamonds when we make love. It'll happen. Besides, you're worth waiting for… again." Ethan received a smack on the arm for his comment, but she went easily when he drew her back into his arms and gave her the sweetest kiss she'd ever received. "Come on. Let's go back in there before this lot eats all the cake."

Tucked into his side, Maya couldn't help but smile as she glanced down at her new ring. For the first time, she really thought they might make it. They could do this. They needed only to work at it together.


End file.
